Pumpkin Coconut Bread

This Pumpkin Coconut Bread is an easy quick bread that combines warm pumpkin spice with sweet, tropical coconut. Moist, flavorful, and easy to make, it is a delicious fall breakfast, snack, or dessert.

We love pumpkin baked goods! For more favorites, try these Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips or these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

I started making this Pumpkin Coconut Bread back in 2008. I love anything pumpkin, (especially pumpkin bread!), and you all know about my coconut obsession. So this recipe, which I originally found in a family cookbook, was an instant favorite.

I hadn’t made it for a few years, and last year I had a reader comment that the cook and serve coconut pudding mix that was originally in the recipe was discontinued. I was so sad, because I really did love this bread!

So this year, I set out to retest, and make it using instant pudding. It started off as a test to just swap out the pudding, but then I felt that it needed a few other small tweaks, so the recipe got a full revamp.

This bread is so soft and moist and filled with pumpkin and coconut flavors. This is a flavor combination you didn’t know you needed in your life – but you do!

This is the perfect recipe to bring you into fall, and then enjoy all season long. It’s a recipe that I can’t get enough of!

Ingredients

• Sugar: You will need both granulated sugar and brown sugar. I use light brown sugar.
• Eggs: I use large eggs. It might seem like a lot of eggs, but you are making 2 loaves.
• Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin puree is the most consistent, but you can use homemade pumpkin puree if you drain it first.
• Oil: I like to use avocado oil, but any neutral oil, like vegetable or canola, will work.
• Vanilla Extract: This just adds some extra flavor.
• Flour: You need all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Pudding Mix: This recipe comes from an old family cookbook, and has always used cook and serve pudding mix. Since the cook and serve coconut pudding mix is no longer being made, I have retested the recipe and it now uses instant pudding mix. You can use vanilla if you can’t find coconut cream, but the bread will have a lot less coconut flavor.
• Spices: For this bread, I use pumpkin pie spice. You could also use just cinnamon, but I love the combination of spices.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder: This will give the bread it’s lift and texture.
• Salt: Salt balances the flavors.
• Coconut: I have only made this recipe with sweetened, shredded coconut. Unsweetened coconut will also work if you want to cut back on the sweetness.

How to Make Pumpkin Coconut Bread

STEP 1: Beat together both sugars and the eggs. Then add in the pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla.

STEP 2: In another bowl, whisk together the flour, both pudding mixes, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix this until it is almost combined.

STEP 4: Add the coconut.

STEP 5: Fold this all together, being careful to not overmix the batter. Only stir until combined.

STEP 6: Divide the batter between two 1-pound loaf pans. Bake until the bread is baked through, then allow to cool before cutting into slices.

Tips and Tricks

I find that this works best in 1 pound loaf pans. Typically, these are 8.5 inches by 4.5 inches. If you have 9×5-inch pans, they will work but the bread is wider and shorter. You can also bake this up in mini loaves.

You want to make sure the bread is not overbaked or underbaked. Every oven bakes a little differently, so the bake time can be anywhere from 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. I like to initially test by pressing lightly in the middle, and if the bread bounces back slightly, then I’ll test with a toothpick. If the indent stays, you know the bread needs to bake longer.

Each loaf should give you 10 generous slices. Feel free to cut the slices thinner, if desired.

The cooled bread needs to be stored at room temperature. I will usually store it in an airtight container, but it can also be tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

Pumpkin Coconut Bread

5 from 1 vote

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 servings

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Print Pin SaveSaved!

This Pumpkin Coconut Bread is an easy quick bread that combines warm pumpkin spice with sweet, tropical coconut. Moist, flavorful, and easy to make, it is a delicious fall breakfast, snack, or dessert.

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 5 eggs
• ▢ 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
• ▢ 3/4 cup neutral oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 cups flour
• ▢ 2 (3.4 oz each) package coconut cream instant pudding mix
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 loaf pans* with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Beat until well combined.
  1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 5 eggs
• Add the pumpkin, oil, and vanilla and continue to mix until combined.
  1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup neutral oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla
• In another bowl, combine the flour, pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine well.
  2 cups flour, 2 (3.4 oz each) package coconut cream instant pudding mix, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the coconut.
  1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
• Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans. Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted the middle comes out clean, about an hour.
• Cool the bread in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely before slicing.

Recipe Notes:

*If possible, you will want to use 2 1-lb loaf pans. Mine measure 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches. You can make this in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, but the loaves will be wider and thinner.

All ovens bake a little differently, so your bake time can be more or less than 1 hour. I would start checking for doneness around 50 minutes. The bread should bounce back up in the center if lightly touched, and you can also test with a wooden skewer for doneness.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 294kcal (15%), Carbohydrates: 42g (14%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 13g (20%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 47mg (16%), Sodium: 298mg (13%), Potassium: 130mg (4%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 29g (32%)

Keywords: fall baking, Pumpkin bread, pumpkin coconut bread, quick bread